After
by JBSconie
Summary: After "Always"


**I own nothing. I just love Castle and I'm longing for September already!**

She couldn't keep the corners of her lips from turning up as she reached for his hand.

The look on his face was some crazy mix of astonishment, passion, adoration and deep love.

With their hands clasped, she led him toward the bedroom.

Every nerve within her was ablaze. But she stopped just at the threshold and turned to face him.

"Castle, I need to tell you something."

He gently brushed his fingertips along her face. "Anything."

She took a breath and looked him in the eye. She wanted him to know, to feel, how much she meant this.

"I love you, Castle." A single tear stained her cheek but it wasn't there for long. His lips brushed it away as he placed gentle kisses along her cheek, down the line of her jaw, finally coming to rest against her own. Her eyes closed as she melted into his embrace.

"I love you, Kate." He whispered against her lips, her hands glided up his chest, up his neck and rested on either side of his face.

Their lips collided again. So much fire, it had been building for so long.

* * *

He woke early. The sun wasn't even breaching the horizon yet.

He had dreamed that she knocked on his door. They had kissed. She had said she was sorry. They had said that they loved one another. But in the dream she had slipped away. He tried so hard to hold onto her but she was falling. Falling down and he couldn't catch her.

He closed his eyes tight at the memory. She hadn't fallen. She was here in his arms.

She was alive.

He let out a breath and looked at her. She was alive because Ryan had caught her. How could he ever thank him enough for saving her.

She shifted a little and placed a kiss on his chin.

"Why are you awake?"

"Bad dream."

"What about?"

"Not being there for you today. I'm sorry I wasn't there, Kate."

"Castle-"

"No. I should have been there."

"Castle, if you had been there..." Her throat grew tight at the thought. "What would have kept Maddox from hurting you? I couldn't bear that. And Alexis..."

His right hand began to sweep the hair back from her face. Her left reached up and her fingertips lightly feathered across his cheek.

"We can't go back, Castle. We can't rewrite what's been written."

"Oh, I beg to differ," he teased.

She loved to see that smirk on his face. It gave her hope that things would be okay.

"You're here now. That's what matters."

"I'm not going anywhere, Kate. I'm not letting you go."

"Promise?"

"Promise." He placed a kiss on her forehead and hugged her a little tighter.

"M'kay." She let out a yawn and snuggled into him. "Let's go back to sleep."

* * *

The sun was streaming through the window when Kate woke up. It wasn't what had woken her though. Her cell was ringing. She couldn't help but smile because his arms were still around her. She looked up at Castle. Still sleeping but then the corner of his mouth quirked up.

"You gonna answer that?"

She grinned. "I was thinking about it but then I'd have to move and I'm pretty happy where I am."

The phone stopped ringing.

His eyes met hers. "I'm pretty happy about where you are too."

The phone beeped that there was a voicemail. A few seconds later Castle cell began to ring in his office.

His brow furrowed.

"You gonna answer that?"

"Don't want to," he grumbled.

She chuckled at him as he let out a sigh.

"Come on, Castle. We have to get up sometime." She unraveled herself from him and leaned over to kiss his temple.

She retrieved her phone from the jacket she had discarded the previous night and looked at the number.

Castle threw on his boxers that had been hastily tossed on the floor and headed for the office.

"It was Kevin."

Castle looked at his phone.

"He called me too."

She listened to the voicemail. It was brief but she knew something wasn't right.

"He said he needs to talk to me." She stared at her phone. "Something's up, Castle. There was something different in his voice." She looked up at him as he walked back into the room. He was bringing the phone down from his ear.

"Kate." His face was strained.

"What, Castle? What is it?" She was starting to get scared now.

"Kate, they've got Maddox."


End file.
